Baby found in downtown high-rise after Magee-Womens Hospital abduction

Breona Moore charged in abduction of Bryce Coleman in Oakland

UPDATED 8:07 PM EDT Aug 24, 2012

PITTSBURGH -

The ex-boyfriend of a woman suspected of walking into Magee-Womens Hospital with a medical scrub top on and walking out with another person's newborn baby said he was under the impression she was pregnant with his child.

“I was nervous that I was about to have a baby,” Saevon Josey told Channel 4 Action News’ Marcie Cipriani on Friday.

Josey said he met 19-year-old Breona Moore on Facebook and “kind of kicked it off from there,” but that he tried to break up with her in December when “things got kind of rough.”

“She was like, ‘No, you can't break up with me.’ And I said, ‘Why not?’ And she said, ‘Because I'm pregnant,’” said Josey.

According to a criminal complaint filed by Pittsburgh police, Moore had been telling friends that she was pregnant, and even posted baby photos and details of her supposed pregnancy on Facebook.

On Monday, Moore posted pictures of a newborn baby she claimed was hers on Facebook, and Josey said he went to the hospital to visit.

“I went to the hospital, texted her (asking) what the room number was. She wasn't trying to tell me. She made some dumb excuse, like the nurses aren’t letting anybody else upstairs,” said Josey.

Moore was found with 3-day-old Bryce Coleman inside the high-rise Investment Building early Thursday evening, police said. Investigators said she tried to pass the child off as her own after taking it from Magee-Womens Hospital a few hours earlier.

“From there, I'm just holding the baby. I'm snuggling with him like it’s my son, and I'm like, after seeing the news last night I'm holding like a stolen baby. My apologies go out to the family and all that,” said Josey.

Sky 4 helicopter video showed officers carrying the baby into an ambulance, and hospital president Leslie Davis said he was examined and found to be in good health.

"He's just like nothing ever happened, not a scratch on him. I'm just thankful that she didn't hurt him," said Taliesha Woodson, Bryce's aunt.

"What happened was the girl posed as a nurse to my sister, but she also posed to the nurse as her sister," said Woodson. "It was two different stories. She was fooling my sister, and she was fooling the nurse."

The boy’s grandmother said Friday that he and his mother were at home resting and doing “just great.”

“It lets me know that the Lord is still in the blessing business, and I give him thanks. Glory to Jesus, because without him, I couldn't have made it through this ordeal,” said Charmaine King.

Moore, of McKeesport, was handcuffed and taken to police headquarters. She smiled and declined to talk about what happened, saying, "You'll find out the rest later."

"Somewhat, because I probably hurt his mom," and then added, "It's just a lot when you lose a child."

New details were found in the criminal complaint Friday morning. In it, police said Moore had been "loitering" outside the hospital room of the baby's mother, Rhonda King, without an identification badge, and she replied that she was getting off duty when an employee questioned her.

Moore put the baby in a "reddish colored cloth zippered handbag" and left the hospital through the front door in the main lobby, then boarded a Port Authority bus and rode it downtown, according to the complaint.

In a written statement, hospital spokeswoman Susan Manko said the mother was in her room with the baby at 12:34 p.m. when a nurse removed the infant's security tag to prepare him for discharge. At 1:15 p.m., the father told hospital staff that they were ready to leave, and they determined that the baby was missing, Manko said. The room was searched and "other internal security procedures" were followed, and police were called at 1:44 p.m.

"We will be reviewing this event to see what improvements could be made in our security procedures," Davis said.

Police said Moore admitted planning to take a baby and following through with it. She told police that she convinced people she was pregnant, that she had a C-section scheduled for Monday, and that the baby was sick and couldn't leave the hospital until Thursday, according to the complaint. Her Facebook page said she was planning a picnic for the baby on Saturday.

Channel 4 Action News' Sheldon Ingram reported that police believe the kidnapper bought her scrubs in the morning at the Life Uniform store at Forbes Avenue and McKee Place.

"She was sitting out there, so when I opened, she came in," a store manager said. "I assumed she was waiting to come in. She said she was training at Magee and she needed a top for the day."

Moore is being held at the Allegheny County Jail on charges of kidnapping, concealing the whereabouts of a child, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint, interference with custody of a child, reckless endangerment and falsely impersonating a nurse.

A judge set her bond at $250,000 and ordered her to undergo a mental evaluation by the jail's behavioral clinic."The young lady just needs a lot of prayer. Obviously, something's wrong," said Tanekia Henley, another aunt of Bryce.

“We know that she needs help, so no one’s angry at her, her family, upset or wishing anything,” said King. “We'd like to thank everybody in the Pittsburgh area or wherever that had something to do with him getting home safely, and those that looked for him and kept an eye open and watched for him. We thank everyone, because everyone was so gracious, generous and helpful to us.”

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